Schwarzenegger Vetoes Change to California Labor Law

Sacramento, CAGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have drastically changed California labor law by allowing farm workers to earn overtime pay in the same way as all other hourly employees in the state.

The bill would have paid farm workers time-and-a-half after eight hours of work a day, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In his veto statement, the governor wrote that "agricultural work is different from other industries: it is seasonal, subject to unpredictability of Mother Nature and requires the harvesting of perishable goods."

Schwarzenegger's arguments against the bill are similar to those of the agriculture industry and organic farmers, which say that because their profit margins are so small, they need the laborers to work long days to get the crop harvested and to market as quickly as possible. Agriculture lobbyists argued that farms' payroll costs would rise by 10 percent if the bill was approved, reports the news provider.

Those who supported the bill claim that the nature of one's work shouldn't dictate the way they are paid.

"The governor's decision is a blow to fairness and justice," California State Senator Darrell Steinberg told the news source.